Duke Ludwig Wilhelm in Bavaria (1831–1920)
Ludwig Wilhelm (21 June 1831 – 6 November 1920) was a Duke in Bavaria and official head of the ducal branch of the House of Wittelsbach.[1][2]
| Ludwig Wilhelm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 June 1831 Munich, Bavaria |
| Died | 6 November 1920 (aged 89) Munich, Weimar Republic |
| Burial | Ostfriedhof, Munich |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Countess Marie Larisch von Moennich Karl Emanuel, Baron von Wallersee |
| House | Wittelsbach |
| Father | Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria |
| Mother | Princess Ludovika of Bavaria |
Biography
editLudwig Wilhelm (often called Louis) was the eldest child of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria, and was the brother of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.[3]
He pursued a career in the Royal Bavarian Army, becoming a major in the 1st Royal Bavarian Chevau-légers "Emperor Nicholas of Russia" and rising to the rank of General of the Cavalry by 1859.[1]
Relationships and issue
editHe renounced his rights as firstborn when he entered into a morganatic marriage to the actress Henriette Mendel, who was created Baroness von Wallersee on their marriage.[1][4] Louis became father in 1858 of a daughter Marie Louise Mendel, who, as Marie Louise von Larisch-Wallersee ("jene Gräfin Larisch"), was later involved in the Mayerling Incident. In 1859 his son Karl Emanuel was born but died shortly after.
Henriette died on November 12, 1891.[2][5]
Louis married a second time to ballet prima donna Antonie Barth, on November 19, 1892[5][6] in Munich.[7] The duke was forty years older than his bride,[2][5] and was not accepted into the duke's family as graciously as his first wife.[1] She was created Baroness von Bartolf.[8] In 1906, the duke had declared his intention to marry Fraulein Tordek, a prima donna of the Munich royal opera house.[3][9] Bartolf left the duke in 1907 after years of physical and emotional abuse.[8] They divorced in July 1913 after Frau Bartolf gave birth to a daughter, Hélène[10] that the duke claimed was not his child.[2][11]
Death
editIn November 1920, Ludwig died[1] of a cardiac arrest-induced stroke and is buried in Munich's Ostfriedhof.
Honours
editHe received the following orders and decorations:[12]
Kingdom of Bavaria:
- Knight of St. Hubert
- Knight of the Military Merit Order, 2nd Class with Swords
- Jubilee Medal
- Army Memorial Cross (1866)
- Service Award Cross, 2nd Class
Baden: Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1898[13]
Belgium: Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
Grand Duchy of Hesse: Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, 1 June 1854[14]
Austrian Empire:[15]
Kingdom of Prussia:
- Knight of the Black Eagle
- Commemoration Medal of the Silver Wedding of Emperor Wilhelm I and Empress Augusta
Kingdom of Saxony: Knight of the Rue Crown, 1848[16]
Two Sicilies: Grand Cross of St. Ferdinand and Merit
Ancestry
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e "Aged Duke Ludwig of Bavaria Dead". The New York Times. 1920-11-11. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
- ^ a b c d "Duke's Ex-Wife Weds Aide: Divorced Woman Becomes the Bride of Former Husband's Ex-Adjutant". The La Harpe Enterprise. La Harpe, Kansas. 1914-09-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ a b "Royal Divorce - Suit in Court". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, Tennessee. 1913-07-15. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ "Mendel, Henriette." 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia.
- ^ a b c "Duke Louis of Bavaria Married". Chicago Tribune. 1892-11-20. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria (1966). Briefe Kaiser Franz Josephs an Kaiserin Elisabeth, 1859-1898. Wien; Wien; Munchen : Herold. p. 464.
- ^ Reis And Rayyet. Vol. 11. 1892. p. 557.
- ^ a b "His Royal Highness - The World's Meanest Husband". Buffalo Courier. Buffalo, New York. 1913-07-27. p. 76. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ "Duke Ludwig". The Boston Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. 1906-08-19. p. 48. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Cannuyer, Christian (1989). Les maisons royales et souveraines d'Europe : la grande famille couronnée qui fit notre vieux continent. Paris : Brepols. p. 247. ISBN 978-2-503-50017-1.
- ^ "Bavarian Duke, Age 38 [sic 83], Divorced from Ex-Dancer". Chicago Tribune. 1914-07-19. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-12-08.
- ^ Hof- und - Staatshandbuch des Königreichs Bayern (1908), "Landtag des Königreiches: Mitglieder der Kammer der Reichsräte", p. 157
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1910), "Großherzogliche Orden", p. 40
- ^ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Hessen (1879), "Großherzogliche Orden und Ehrenzeichen" p. 10
- ^ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1918, pp. 50, 54, retrieved 6 April 2021
- ^ Staatshandbuch für den Freistaat Sachsen: 1873. Heinrich. 1873. p. 3.